Playskool’s Alphie robot is a classic electronic learning toy that has been adapted for a new generation of kids. Alphie is a fantastic toy for young children. Toddlers and small children are sure to be entertained for hours by Alphie, and you can feel good knowing Alphie is teaching them essential skills they’ll need when they start school.
What is Alphie?
Alphie is a plastic white robot about a foot tall. The face of the robot is a small screen with a handle on top of the head for easy carrying. There is a row of four light-up buttons down either side that allow users to answer questions.
Alphie’s chest has a slot where children insert a card. The card has eight pictures, with four on each side. Each picture lines up with one of the buttons on Alphie. Alphie is able to recognize which card has been inserted and asks questions. The child presses the button with the correct answer.
For example, Alphie comes with a card that has pictures of fruits and vegetables. He can light up the button next to a picture of four tomatoes and say, “I see four tomatoes. What else are there four of?” The child can then press any of the seven remaining buttons to show Alphie which other picture shows four of something.
If the child gets an answer wrong, Alphie will give hints and encouragement until they figure it out. Alphie asks more than one question for each card, making a total of over 350 questions and challenges. Booster card packs are also available to add more questions.
Features:
- Introduces children to letters, math, and other skills.
- Over 350 different questions and activities keep children entertained for weeks.
- Cards store easily in Alphie’s backpack for mess-free clean up.
- 30 booster cards contain a wide range of learning activities.
- Alphie can sing and play music.
- Light-up buttons and animated face panel bring Alphie to life.
Benefits of Alphie
There are plenty of benefits to using this toy with your children. While there are plenty of educational technology toys out there, there are a few ways in which Alphie outshines the competition.
First, Alphie provides tons of activities for a low price. More parents are choosing to give their children tablets, thanks to the variety of apps and games you can download on just one tablet. But Alphie gives kids just as many options for a fraction of the price. The innovative card system turns this one toy into hundreds of different activities.
Alphie is also a great educational toy. As the name suggests, Alphie helps kids learn their alphabet. But Alphie helps with other basic skills that young children will need when they start school. There are questions that address number skills, counting, letter sounds and shapes, sorting and grouping, patterns, cause and effect, and even vocabulary. All of these are essential to help young children reach developmental milestones and continue to develop a healthy brain.
Who Can Use Alphie?
Alphie is recommended for children ages three and up. However, the activities on Alphie may be best for children who are two to three years old. Using Alphie does not require any fine motor skills—children simply have to push a fairly large button to give answers. This means even toddlers can begin to learn using Alphie.
Children who will benefit most from Alphie are those who have not yet started Kindergarten. Alphie can give kids a leg up before they get to school and risk falling behind. More and more experts agree that a child’s youngest years can be the most important when it comes to their future academic success.
Once children reach the age of five, they will likely begin to outgrow Alphie and want more advanced learning challenges and toys.
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